1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for anchoring soft tissue to bone, and more precisely, to devices that secure suture to the bone and soft tissue.
2. The Relevant Technology
There are a number of surgical procedures in which it is necessary to draw soft tissue and bone together. One such procedure is rotator cuff repair, in which the connective tissue of the displaced rotator cuff is to be drawn against the bone of the shoulder until the joint is able to heal properly.
A variety of anchoring systems are presently used to carry out such procedures. Unfortunately, many known systems are somewhat unwieldy, unreliable, or difficult to implant in the patient. Some such systems require the surgeon to take some type of action to lock the suture at its desired length. Thus, the surgeon must keep the suture at the desired length while carrying out the locking operation. If the suture length changes during locking, the surgeon may need to perform additional steps to adjust the length of the suture. Furthermore, many such systems have excessive components that must be implanted into the body.
Accordingly, a need exists for systems and methods for attaching soft tissue to bone that remedy the shortcomings of the prior art. More particularly, there is a need for a system that is compact, has relatively few components, and is easily lockable during surgery.